Love Scars & Handlebars

I am traveling to Atlanta next week for a conference (AAAL-American Association of Applied Linguistics--I know.....SEXY!) and found out that there is going to be this awesome event while I am there. I have to attend a few meetings and then I am OFF to visit my old stomping ground and get some major bikey love.

Bike Envy: Round II

I have been plotting and planning for a year about possibly getting another bike. My current bike (Schwinn Cross Cross) was my Mom's that she rarely rode so she gave it to me. It is reliable, pretty comfortable, fairly light, and gets the job done. I would most definitely keep this bike even if I bought a new one for certain kinds of trips, or if I was going to have to leave it in an area where there was high theft (I love this bike but it is certainly not new looking anymore).

However, I can't decide what kind of bike to get. I am drawn to the Omafiet (shown below).


This bike is heavy but classy and could carry a lot of stuff. Given my daily 7-10 mile commute roundtrip this would be doable. Dottie over at Let's Go Ride a Bike has an Oma and swears by it. The Oma has generator hub lights and an internal gears which would be nice.

However, I also am drawn to more technical bikes that are built for speed and are light. Not pure road bikes per say but hybrids that can get the job done.


It is hard to decide. I think this is why people who bike a lot, especially for commuting, have more than one bike. Or maybe I am rationalizing. :-) I do like to think that for the price of one used car, I could have several bikes at my disposal and never have to pay a dime for insurance or gas. Now I don't feel so guilty for wanting a new one. :-D

People of this Planet

Adrienne Johnson over at Change Your Life, Ride a Bike posted a great post from a quote ("Men of England") on a sort of call to arms for taking back our lives from the tyranny of the car. Here's my version:

People of this planet
you have traded your birthright
for a lie

"Speed, Sex, Freedom, Power can be YOURS" they claim
all the while covering up the pollution, obesity, ill health, congestion, and dependence that mark
the Rule of the Car

Carism must be denounced
but you must
wake up to do it!

Belief that a car is the "only way"
kills our women, men, children, pets, and planet.

People of this planet
Get in your saddle and claim your birthright-
a world not ruled by machines and fear.

Reclaim your power to be physically and mentally strong
independent
without destroying those in far away lands who can't see us
but feel our impact

Reclaim your power to be self-sufficient,
to make corporations shudder
and tremble at the sight of two wheels and
fast, fit, brazen, and whole people
riding on.

Jeff and Erin's Epic Wedding Adventure

If you have not heard about this video, you should check it out over at the Huffington Post
This post has nothing to do with cycling but is really clever and funny. This couple decided to make SURE that everyone saved the date for their impending nuptials. Jeff and Erin Wong "skipped the dainty cards most couples use and made a video. But not just any video, an awesome epic ridiculous one that takes you through as many movie genres as you can imagine with the couple starring in each. It's so well done that you can't help but love this pair and wish them a lifetime of happiness" (Huffington Post, 1-23-10).

Enjoy!

Some winter cheer

I found this great video over at Happy Healthy Long Life and it brought a smile to my face on this overcast day.

Enjoy!

Pedal-powered snowplow

I found this clever video over at Urban Simplicity and thought it was quite timely. We could use this about now!

I hate to say I have not been able to ride my bike for a bit due to travel and now a nasty head cold. Looking forward to feeling better and trying out some winter cycling (the first in my life)!

Induction into the car-centric life

This holiday has been really nice. I have had a wonderful time visiting family and getting caught up with two of my favorite people in the world: my nieces Zoe (6) and Annabelle (4). We have had quite the celebration here!

However,I have a confession to make: I struggle with the completely car-centric attitude that my nieces are being inducted into. For Christmas some relatives bought the girls a little battery-powered car to drive around in the yard. Needless to say, the tricycle Annabelle was enjoying a few days ago is no longer interesting in comparison to the car.

It is shocking to me to see that the car culture is sucking them in earlier and earlier with the help of well meaning people like my relatives. What gets me is that for the money that was spent on that little car that sucked up petroleum to produce the car and will use energy to keep it running, the girls could have had TWO really nice bicycles. They will outgrow that car in a year or two--if it lasts that long--and what then, a golf cart? Is it any wonder that by the time they are teenagers they'll feel entitled to a car? Hopefully, the newness of that car will wear off but the sense of adventure and freedom that comes with a bike will never end. I just hope that the girls are given that choice as well.